I stood there outside…starring at the temple for several long minutes...

...It’s a dream to be at this holy place and God calls only the lucky ones to His abode…

The sound of my elders echoed deep in my ears… I felt highly blessed… for I felt like I was among the chosen few… who had gotten a chance to enliven a dream… The dream of visiting and experiencing the spiritual and the mystic aura surrounding “the holiest” of all shrines… The Badrinarayan shrine in Badrinath… once again after several long years…

The temple also kept its promise… of leaving me awestruck and captivated at first sight itself! Surrounded by pristine spotless beauty, nestled in the verdant protective folds of the Himalayan mountains - The Badrinath Temple was draped in a jamboree of bright colors and it looked every inch beautiful and magnificent as when I had seen it in as a small child of seven, as I had envisioned it since then and as it had looked from a distance while standing on the narrow footbridge over the Alaknanda river a few moments earlier…

Although Badrinath temple is a place that originally dates back to the 9th century but the present temple is a modern one which has been renovated and restructured many a times from its original construct. Adi Shankaracharya, the founder of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy, had initially discovered the Badrinarayan idol in the Alakananda River from the Narad Kund and installed it in the Garud Gupha near the hot water spring of Tapt Kund. Seven centuries later, it was moved to the spot where the current temple stands today by the Garhwal kings and a swarna kalash (golden pot) was placed at its shikhara by the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore in the 18th century. The building was again damaged by a massive earthquake in 1803 and was then refurbished by the king of Jaipur.

But inspite of all the modernizations, the land still reverberates with a heart of a divine era that it has witnessed, the love of the devotees is inescapably palpable in the ambiance, the original idol has remained untouched and this is what makes this tirtha so mesmerizing.

The latticed windows and the exquisitely ornate stone façade are impressive and superb and was one of the first features to strike me visually. The temple is a tad different in its appearance and resembles a Buddhist Vihara (temple) in its looks, the primary reasons for this being the design of the temple top which is a row of kiosks covered with curvy roofs and the brightly colored exteriors.

The temple stands 50 mtrs high, raised on a plinth overlooking the Alaknanda river sandwiched between the two mountains of Nar and Narayan named after the two sages by the same name. There was a hustle and bustle of pilgrims around owing to the festival day of Diwali but at the same time there was a sense of calmness in its salubrious air and gorgeous natural settings that even this din of pilgrim traffic could not rob away from us.

Walking up a few flights of steps we entered the Temple through an artistic arched gateway. At the Gate, directly opposite the main Idol of the Lord himself, is seated the idol of Bird Garud, the vehicle of Lord Badrinarayan, sitting in prayer with his hands folded. Above Him hangs a large bell gifted by the Garhwal rifles. The gate leads us to a large courtyard with the main hall in the middle known as the Sabha Mandap. The Sabha Mandap has intricately carved pillars and walls and a wide space for pilgrims to spend some time in peace and connect with their dear Lord Vishnu. In the centre of this is the Garbha griha or the sanctum sanctorum wherein rests the divine picture of Shri Badrinarayan or Lord Badrinath – the self manifest black shaligram shila image of Lord Vishnu seated in pensive Padmasana pose (lotus pose - the posture in which he had meditated in the holy town…described in the introductory post) with His palms resting on His lap.

There were a very few pilgrims in the temple and hence there was no jostling and pushing, everyone, including us, was taking the darshan (blessings) peacefully and to their heart’s content. Though photography is prohibited inside the temple, you can picture the scarcity of the crowds from the fact that the priest personally identified the numerous idols alongside the main idol for us. At the entry of the sanctum is the gaddiof Adi Shankaracharya, the seat where He meditated. The images of Kuber - the God of wealth, Ganesh, Lord Vishu’s vehicle Garud, His two wives – Sridevi and Bhoodevi as well as the sages Nar, Narayan, bhakta Narada are all seated around the main deity. The priest also informed us that this is one of a kind idol as this is the only idol of Lord Vishnu in this yogic pose.

After spending some time in the mandap, we moved towards the circumambulation of the temple which is also one of the distinctive features of the temple. The entire circular route has smaller shrines of Gods and Goddess, each dedicated to a devotee of the Lord and facing the Lord directly in such a way as if ensuring that Their Master doesn’t vanish away from their eyes even for one moment! Lord Vishu’s consort Goddess Laxmi has a shrine just next to the main temple. Besides this, there are other shrines of dakshinmukhi Hanuman, Narsimha, Nar-Narayan, Ghanta Karna (known as the lokpal or the guardian deity of the region) and an Ashta bhuja (eight armed) Ganesha surrounding the main temple.

After the circumambulation, we took the evening Arti (prayer) coupon to attend the prayers of the Diwali night…and I waited eagerly for the dusk to fall…

Tired and exhausted we returned to our hotel rooms for a brief rest before we ventured out again to explore the other places in and around Badrinath…

The prayer ceremonies commence in the morning from 6.30 am and go on till dusk. Among these, the Nirmalya darshan, the first puja ceremony is considered to be the most auspicious of all.

Temple Timings: 4 am - 12 noon, 3 pm - 9 pm

Visiting Season:The Temple doors are closed down around October (dates are fixed on Basant Panchami (Feb)) at the advent of winters and are opened again for worship at around Mid April (dates are decided on Vijayadashmi (mid-Oct)). Thus the temple is shut down for 6 months every year during which prayers to theBadriVishal continue at the Narsimha temple in Joshimath. Before closing the temple doors, the priests light a lamp before the idol in the sanctum. It is said that during this period of 6 months, bhakta Narad who had attained salvation here, continues with the prayer services. This belief is further strengthened based on the fact that when the temple is again reopened after six months in spring, the lamp is still seen to be flickering!

Badrinath is one among the 108 divya desams (holy shrines for Vaishnavites) of Lord Vishnu. The temple is the holiest of the four dhams (sites) of Hindus, in Garhwal ranges, and draws pilgrims from all over India. It is the most visited of the char dhams, when doing the entire circuit, it comes last in the course but many do it standalone too.

Badrinath temple is also known as Vishal Badri. It is the largest and the most popular of the pilgrimages among the five badris or the Panch Badris namely Badri Vishal or the Badrinath Temple (described above), Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vridha Badri and Adi Badri.

Coupons for any special pujas are available in the temple premises itself. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the temple.

Festivals: The Mata Murti ka Mela is celebrated on Bavan Dwadashi (Sep-Oct), when the statue of Uddhavji is taken to the Mata Murti temple, 3 km away, and brought back on the same day. Krishna Janmashtami (Jul-Aug) and Badri-Kedar Utsav (Jun-Jul) are other notable occasions.

It is splendid to see how all around the world, art, religion and culture seeks what we all need...and that is the knowledge and love of the Almighty, Yeshua, Jevovah, Ala, with what ever name we give HIM...we all come seeking. Such beautiful images here of an enchanting land of great philosophes and great souls that lead us to a place we all have to face....thank you for visiting me today!

Arti, once again, I got my spiritual dream shrine on my pc without moving anywhere. Thanks a lot. You are doing a wonderful job. A huge info and pics too. All this is not just beneficial for Indians but for foreigners too.

Beautiful pictures! So you have not been here since you were a child? When it was moved, and also rebuilt, did they use the old materials that were in the old building? You got a great picture of that one intricate carving.

Wonderful Arti.. How much I wished , I trekked on the wonderful silver mountain.. At last, my wish will be fulfilled. I will be joining a group of Yatris on the 8th of July to Amarnath..! I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope my leave doesn't get cancelled in the last minute..!Your posts on the Himalayas have kept my interest and fascination for Himalayas alive...I still would love to visit Badri sometime..!

It is interesting to see the Badrinath Templeand also it is impressive to learn that the temple has a long history and renovated well.Thank you for sharing this, and for your comment on my post again. Redrose.

The current structures have owed to generations of people's efforts for maintenance, renovation or restructure. Man-made things don't last forever without that. Spiritual places are supported by individual spiritual mind.

Thank you for the detailed report and superb photos as always, Arti. Have a happy week ahead!

@ AnuYes the place has not changed one bit in the last 20 years, only some more construction!But the crowd was not much at all as I had visited when the Temple closing date was very near...And Ya, send in the mail, will be happy to provide any help:)

Arti, thanks a lot for such a beautiful blog. A serene temple with old history. Yes, it is right people who can visit this place are very lucky ones. Nara, Japan has many Buddhist temples whose histories are dating back to the 7th, 8th centuries. Whenever I visit those temples, I strongly feel religious faith of people in ancient through present days, and feel the same from your photos and words. Thank you for sharing.Have a great day!

your posts leave me breathless. the peace and holiness of this spot, well, they leave me speechless too. what a remarkable narrative you've gifted us with. and thanks for taking me along. I'm glad it hasn't changed much in 20 years.

sorry for coming late... got little busy after college reopened...a wonderful lengthy post focusing on both history and temple regulations...a very artistic temple... particularly the hilly background and the minute details add to the beauty of the temple...

Love this post ... you have transported me to badrinath without moving a inch from chennai : ) The temple history and the temple details are so divine...especially the part where the lamp continues to flicker even after 6 months !!

I was not doing well for the last 2 weeks but today I felt good after reading this post.

I usually try to avoid visiting your blog because he inspires me to travel and check out the world for real instead of sitting in front of computer... and I cannot afford it. ;) Love post with such amazing details and beautiful pictures. Keep the good work.. this is the next best thing to those who cannot visit those places.

Your series on Badrinath Yatra is a must read for all the travelers visiting the place.And i agree your blog is one of the best in India.You too have a great week Arti .Sorry for being late here .Kid's vacations have started so getting very little free time in hand.

Such gorgeous pictures... I love the one that has the house outlined with lights. Diwali is one of my favourite festivals and you have captured it beautifully! Indeed, festivals bring people together like nothing else does. To say nothing of the happiness and celebration in the air.I am bookmarking this one.

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Hi there! I am Arti - often found on the road travelling with my best friend, inspiration and guide - my father. I love travelling to spiritual places and consider my external yatras as continuous learning journeys within; a journey where I seek to discover and experience the real treasures of this life someday. Besides helping my own self, this blog of mine also aims to help those planning to make a trip to these places or simply provide a virtual tour to the rest.
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